Ross Lyon has described losing three players to injury in the first half as "a unique experience" as St Kilda sweats on the extent of spearhead Max King's re-injured shoulder. 

Barely a minute into Saturday night's brave loss to Melbourne, King left the field nursing his left shoulder after an attempted spoil.

The young forward missed the first nine rounds of the season after dislocating his shoulder in December, requiring reconstructive surgery of the joint. 

"It doesn't look good. I'd be out of my lane if I hypothesised what it is, but it looks on the surface significant, but I'll hold fire until they come to me officially," Lyon said. 

The coach admitted that he hadn't yet spoken to his forward, but briefly comforted him at half-time in the rooms. 

"I live in the war space and the bodies that get dragged away I worry about later," Lyon said. 

King was joined on the bench by veteran Seb Ross, who injured his hamstring, and Zaine Cordy who suffered a concussion. 

Despite the lack of rotations, Lyon thought his side "coped" but didn't make the most of its opportunities in attack. The Saints finished the game plus-six for inside 50s but kicked just eight goals for the night. 

"I thought the group showed good character and capacity to run and work," Lyon said. 

"For us it's how we want to play footy. Contest, front-half football, I thought we controlled that compared to what we dished up in the first half last week. They responded to the education." 

Lyon praised senior players Jack Steele, Rowan Marshall and Jack Sinclair, but acknowledged just how much youth they had to lean on with King, Ross and Cordy out. 

"Anthony Caminiti, Mitch Owens, Marcus Windhager, Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Mattaes Phillipou, for first- and second-year players I think what they're doing is pretty good."